Photos and text by Anastasia Lambrou. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012 New York.
Street-wise and sly style urban chick. Stefani fused Japanese urban functionality of hard wearing fabrics and utilitarian uniform design with a stop off in the 90’s for slouchy styles and block acid hues to break up the dark palette and busy houndstooth and plaids. Through the quirky L.A.M.B. lens, the 60’s rock ‘n roll girl was the influence and was well translated indeed. This was one of the wittiest collections I previewed at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York and I really appreciated the wearability and comfort.
A poster plastered backdrop of Twiggy-like models batting their heavily made-up lashes and boldly lined peepers reminds us of the references that have filtered though to the Stefani Fall style. Eye make-up included an additional row of top lashes drawn onto the eyelid, as well as a bold little dot painted below the center of the lower lash to draw attention to the eyes. Hair was, of course, beehive and it worked well with the eclectic mix of styles and period references.
Garments included super short pleat flared skirts, pants tailored with narrow ankles, little mid-thigh skirts, jumpsuits, jumpers, and sheer shirts. They were all heavily accented with utilitarian features like large pockets, draw-string waists, paneling, and jackets with stretchy waistbands. Although not designed with comfort in mind, shoes were uniform-inspired for that hard-wearing urban look. They were sky-high and won’t translate well if you are a style chameleon like me.
The prints were houndstooth, plaid, and a busy melange of thick and thin black and grey lines reminiscent of city scaffolding and metal structures. Stefani even introduced her own old school Galactica arcade print nicely tying in the fluorescent light-reflecting colors featured in uniforms.
However, the prints were loud – louder than most want them to be and some of the styles were not flattering to the average body type. You would have to be stick-thin to make the skirts look as good as they did on the models. Otherwise you’d be looking like a pumpkin. The knee-high stocking socks were a cute and sexy touch to girl up the tom-boy feel of the collection, although again, if you don’t have the legs, these can look quite scary! The shorts were cute, as well as the tailored coats, and skirt suits, despite the very loud classic Stefani houndstooth.
Overall, the collection definitely got me excited about using the 60’s style to girl up any boyish outfit. I thought that was a winning theme and I definitely liked the Japanese uniform culture inspiration.
TRENDS
Fluorescent accents in a dark palette, skinny tailored trousers, little utility-style bomber jackets, plaid and houndstooth, 60’s hair and make-up, super-high platform pumps.
FAVORITES
Tailored coats, knee high socks, sky-high platform pumps, Peter Pan collared shirts, skirt suits, 60’s glasses, hair and make-up.
WHO
Street smart urban woman with an attitude to express fashionably. She is No Doubt, a huge Stefani fan and loves city living.
WHERE
Anywhere. The wearer is a bold personality and enjoys expressing this through her fashion sense. Some garments are tailored with details that make them suitable for slightly more formal occasions because they are about personality.
